The waterfront of Alcoutim receives the open gym

The riparian zone of Alcoutim will receive a new space with sports equipment, which can be used free of charge by the inhabitants. According to the aggregator my well being, this project will cost € 5 thousand in exercise equipment and has as a backdrop to the village population practicing physical exercise on a regular basis, in order to improve their health.

The site will have a privileged view of the Guadiana river and to the neighbouring village, Sanlúcar de Guadiana, can be read on the website of the municipality.

"The outdoor gym is also a way to monetize and give a new impetus to public space, making it more profitable and utility", stated the President of the municipality, Francisco Amaral.

Over the years, the City Council of Alcoutim has been supporting and creating different sports initiatives.

Currently, the municipality offers a set of diversified modes and tailored to different age groups, such as hidrosénior gymnastics, hydrotherapy, canoeing, gears-race, maintaining gym, aerobics classes, among many other initiatives.

Moreover, it has granted incentives to various associations in the areas of sport and health. The gym will be funded at 75% by the POCTEP â€" cross-border cooperation programme Portugal/Spain.

Read the news in my aggregator.

Photo: under Creative Commons license

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Activist lives in Apple tree with 150 years to prevent the cut

Rowan Burrough, a true eco warrior, made the top of an Apple tree in his house, as a way to prevent the cut. The man spent most of the week on top of the tree with 150 years of age, in Gloucestershire, England.

Rowan has received the support of local residents, that bring you soup, sandwiches and water throughout the day. But it was close that their protest didn't end the day before yesterday, when the 44-year-old man came down from the tree, to 3:0 in the morning, to sleep in a bed. To 5:0 workers already were in place and began to prune the tree to six feet tall. Rowan hastened to the scene and rose again to the Apple tree, this time accompanied by a second protester, Matthew Sell, 39 years.

Its main objective is to protect the centuries-old tree and a thriving colony of Badgers that exist under it. Investors want to build luxury homes on site 14 and activist argues that Orchard tree, such as the Badger colony which houses, must be protected and incorporated as part of the gardens of the houses.

"Just because something has received planning permission, doesn't mean it's right," said the man. "If more people did what I'm doing with more frequency, the municipalities would be a little tired and would change the rules to release its decisions."

The permission for the construction of 12 houses with three bedrooms and two houses with four bedrooms was granted to the investor Gerry Walsh, after having bought the land, despite having received more than 100 letters of objection to the plans.

Residents have been supporting the cause of Rowan, joining him at the scene. "I'm not against the construction of houses, we need homes, but there must be space for wildlife also â€" human habitation and the precious wildlife must find a way to live together," said Judith Pfeifer, 35 years, landscape design.

The plan sees the removal of badgers, through the installation of gates with only a sense that allow them to leave the site without being able to return. It is expected once the animals leave their home and find a new nearby.

"I hope we can have a reasonable discussion with the men who are on top of the tree and to persuade them that we are doing the best they could hope for this place," said the owner of the land, Walsh.

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Coca-Cola prepares water purification kiosks for developing regions

A cooperation between several companies and NGOs, led by Coca-Cola, is developing 2,000 water purification kiosks to rural communities of 20 countries by the end of 2015. The kiosks do not need to be connected to the network and will bring drinking water to at least 6,000 people per day.

The strategy aims to take 500 million liters of drinking water to these sites, allowing at the same time, new business opportunities for about five million women living in these regions away from urban centres and, mostly in developing countries.

The kiosks are being developed in partnership with DEKA R&D, an organization led by the inventor of the Segway, Dean Kamen, and use two different techniques of purification of water. The first, designated, Slingshot ("Catapult", in Portuguese), is a small unit that uses the steam compression distillation to turn dirty water into any kind of source of drinking water.

The second, even more ambitious, is called Ekocenter, a modular kiosk made from a 20-foot container and that provides drinking water, with catapult technology, and other services: since no communications network to clean electricity.

A unit of these can purify 300 thousand litres of water per year, enough to give drink to 300 people per day. Can be electrified with any kind of energy up to 1 kilowatt.

According to the Business Green, a prototype of the Ekocenter is already operational in Heidelberg in South Africa, with another planned for the end of the year, at a location to be determined.

"Through the Ekocenter we have the ability to change people's lives, offering access to good water for drinking and other resources. At the same time, we give power to local entrepreneurs, "explains Muhtar Ken, CEO and chairman of Coca-Cola.

In addition to Coca-Cola and DEKA, are working on this project, companies like IBM, inter-American Development Bank, McHann Health, NRG Energy, Qualcomm Technologies, UPS and TechnoServe.

The Ekocenters will be placed in Africa, Asia, Latin America and North America, but have not yet revealed the exact locations.

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Quick access to internet is becoming more forgetful

According to a new British study, the internet may be becoming more forgetful, for making the demand for information on something fairly easy. The survey, made 2,000 adults, found that four out of 10 people did not know the year in which occurred the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

At the same time, less than one-third of respondents knew the year of the fall of the Berlin wall and 50% were aware of the first time man walked on the moon. Similarly, only less than half could say the year of the death of Princess Diana.

87% of participants in the study confessed to having a "dependant" of the internet, not making an effort for remembering things because you can simply search for them. The study analyzed the modern knowledge of the British about famous historical events and the years in which they occurred.

The date most remembered was the battle of Hastings in 1066, while the dates of the two world wars were buried in people's memory.

"The internet is an incredible resource that enriches and contributes a lot to the quality of modern life, but that may be changing the traditional way as we remember and process things â€" certainly in comparison with the older generations," said a spokeswoman for Grant 's, who commissioned the study.

On the other hand, eight out of 10 people feel that young people today are less concerned about the story, while the same number said that the current youth is educated to be more egocentric and less able to appreciate the past.

Nonetheless, an overwhelming majority of respondents, 88%, feel to learn and teach the story continues to be relevant, even at a time when knowledge is the distance of a click.

"The retelling of stories is not only a powerful means to educate the younger generation, but also a great way to unite generations a quality time and stimulate a wonderful bond between them," added the spokesman.

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Almada opens tender for exploration of biological farm

Almada City Council opened a public tender for the granting of exploration of Almada biological farm, which is now available for rent. The Organic Farm of Almada is located in the Union of the parishes of Sobreda and Feijó, immediately south of the peace Park, and has an area of 5.5 hectares.

The grant lasts for 35 years, extendable to 10 years and implies an income of € 1,500 per year.

The aim of the competition is the design and implementation of a multifunctional agricultural Park, in interaction with the Park of peace, dedicated to agricultural production, nature and biodiversity conservation, training and awareness for organic farming, leisure tourism and recreation assets and marketing of agricultural products.

With this contest, enforce stricter park their research-related skills, visitation for different audiences and promoting more sustainable consumption habits.

The deadline for submission of proposals is November 11, 2013 day at 3:30 pm. See the call for tenders.

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How to save energy, water and money in your kitchen (with video)

The kitchen is the room in which we consume more energy â€" about 40% of the total, according to data of the multinational Ikea. To reduce this number, the Swedish company has developed a series of tips to make the kitchen a division more efficient, sustainable and clean.

Now, the green economy visited the premises of the shop and received some tips from communication, sustainability Director Ana Teresa Fernandes. "The induction hotplate causes save around 50% compared to the ancient gas burners or vitro-ceramic hobs, which are still quite recent," explains the responsible.

Another of the Councils is linked to the energy efficiency of household appliances, whose purchase has to be thought of in a long-term logic. "The class A ++ refrigerators are much more efficient than others. A class energy appliance saves about 30% more energy in the face of energy class C, this is quite important in time to make the investment, "Ana Teresa Fernandes advances.

The taps are other kitchen equipment that may be important to reduce the environmental and financial impact of the kitchen. For Mixer taps that flow reducer, can save 50% of the water used, "continues the responsible.

See more some of Ikea's tips to make your kitchen more sustainable Division of the House.

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NASA probe uncovers clouds on extrasolar planet

Using data from Kepler and Spitzer space telescopes, astronomers have mapped the first extrasolar planet discoveries clouds. According to NASA, this technique can be applied in the search for planets similar to Earth.

The analysis of the data collected by Kepler allowed look at planets outside our solar system. The map shows clouds in the exo-planet Kepler-7b, one of the first five planets discovered by the unmanned probe. The planet in question is classified as "Hot Jupiter" â€" has 1.5 times the size of Jupiter, less than half of its mass and a very low gravity. Some scientists describe as "bloated".

The estimated temperature of Kepler-7b is between 2,700 and 3,300 ºc ºc-what is relatively cold for a planet so close to their star. The data indicate that its light creates clouds high in the Western hemisphere.

"Kepler-7b reflects more light than the giant planets that we have found, that we attach to the clouds in the upper atmosphere," said Thomas Barclay, Kepler scientist. "Unlike the Earth, the patterns of clouds on the planet doesn't seem to change much over time â€" the climate is quite stable."

Kepler discovered this exo-planet to measure the light intensity of stars as possible planets pass in front of you â€" sudden depressions indicating the possible presence of a planet. However, through detailed study of the planet's light curve to go through different phases, like the Moon, the resolution of the probe was a bright spot on a map of the planet. Unfortunately, he couldn't figure out if it was reflected light or a hot spot.

It was here that went into action the Spitzer. This NASA space telescope works in more different wavelengths than Kepler, which allows you to eliminate Gizmag explains alternatives.

"When we look at this planet with Spitzer and Kepler during more than three years, we were able to produce a map with very low resolution of this giant gaseous planet," said Brice-Olivier Demory, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge. "We didn't expect to see oceans or continents in this kind of world, but we have detected a clear and reflexive signature that we interpret as clouds."

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